He took off her watch
by MadAboutCastle1090
Summary: The release of the leather strap from her wrist pulled her from her moment of introspection. She watched as he cradled the object in his hands. The care with which he placed it on the bedside table stopped her breath in her chest.


Every moment of the night Kate had shown up at Castle's door, soaking wet and desperately hoping for forgiveness she wasn't sure she deserved, was seared into her memory. She would never forget the look in his eyes when he changed, decided the past no longer mattered. She would carry that feeling of being pressed back against his door, of feeling completely vulnerable and entirely safe in his arms with her for the rest of her life. Every detail about the minutes and hours that followed was as sharp now, years later, as it was on that night. However, some details still stand out above the rest.

Kate sighed and leaned back against her chair, remembering the strength of his arms, holding her up as his kiss made her knees give out. She went next to her sharpest memory from that night, the feeling of his fingertips brushing lightly over the scar on her chest. Even the most fleeting thought of it made a shiver run from her toes to the top of her head. He never failed to acknowledge it, even now. In their more frenzied moments, he would always brush a light kiss across it. More often than not, however, he would bow his head and place a deliberate, delicate kiss to the puckered circle of skin; silently bestowing his gratitude to the universe for allowing her to stay with him. His reverence for what she used to see as an imperfection has never wavered and sometimes it still brings tears to her eyes. Perhaps the detail from their first night together that stood out in the sharpest detail, second only to the attention he paid to her scar, came as he slowly peeled her soaked clothes from her shivering body.

* * *

She took his hand and led him away from his front door. Walking in the direction of his bedroom, she let her mind wander for the briefest of moments. She had always imagined they would fail to make it to the bed their first time; that their need to break down the final wall between then would be too great. She imagined they would opt for the closest flat surface and their clothes would be littered behind them in their wake. She never imagined they would both want to take their time, to commit every new discovery to memory.

Silently, she led him through his office, turning to face him at the foot of his bed. She allowed herself to graze her fingers across his lips one more time, to remind herself that he was real, that this was happening, and that it was what she wanted more than anything else. She pulled her shirt and bra strap from her shoulder while he pushed her hair away from her neck. He seemed unsure of her, like he still couldn't trust that this was all real. Slowly, she lowered herself backward onto the bed, bringing him with her. She rose slightly and kissed him again, imploring him to believe she was really there, hoping her actions spoke as loudly as her words at his door. She just wanted him and she intended to spend the rest of her life proving that, if that's what it took.

He continued to kiss her, slowly, exploring the parts of her that she knew he had spent years staring at. She couldn't hold back a small gasp when his lips connected with the underside of her jaw, just below her ear. She could feel him smile into her skin and could tell he was making a mental note, filing that information away for later. She allowed her hands to explore his broad shoulders and back, reveling in the rippling of his muscles through the fabric of his shirt.

His tongue traced her exposed collar bone at the same time his hands moved to the remaining buttons on her shirt. She let out a whispered moan disguised as a puff of breath when his mouth found the top of her breast. He worked the small buttons with the same dexterity she was sure he showed to the keys of his computer. His brow knitted with concentration. She couldn't help herself, she leaned up and kissed the crease in his forehead just as he opened the last button on her shirt.

He used this opportunity to his advantage, pulled her into a sitting position, and slowly slid her soaking shirt from her shoulders. She slid her right arm from the sleeve easily, but the left met resistance. Her brow furrowed, she looked down to see the sleeve caught on her watch, the one he had seen restored and returned to her, the one she wore for the life she had saved. She reached across her bare stomach for the band, but he caught her wrist.

"Let me" he whispered.

She let her hand fall into her lap as he reached for the buckle of her watch. He took her small wrist in his hands and gently began to remove the timepiece. As she watched him handle one of the two most precious objects she owned, she secretly rejoiced in her decision to leave her mother's ring safe in her apartment. In that moment, part of her knew Castle had been right the day before. When she decided not to take her mother to confront the man who shot her, part of her knew she was likely charging head first at her demise.

The release of the leather strap from her wrist pulled her from her moment of introspection. She watched as he cradled the object in his hands. The care with which he placed it on the bedside table stopped her breath in her chest. She knew, then, choosing him was the best decision she had ever or would ever make. In the same moment, she realized how much more he deserved. She had been so selfish. He loved her. This act alone proved that beyond any of the words he'd spoken. He loved her and she had sent him away as if he meant nothing.

The next thing she felt were his fingers grazing her ears and his thumbs gently swiping her cheeks. She realized then that there were tears in her eyes and some had escaped down her cheeks.

"I'm sorry." She said again. Her voice cracked, both with emotion and lack of use. "I'm sorry I let everything get so messed up. I'm sorry it took almost dying to see what was right in front of me." Her voice was becoming more and more strained in her effort to hold back the sob building in her chest. She roughly shook her wrist, finally freeing her arm, just as her shoulders gave their first heave. She felt the last of her control slipping as he spoke.

"Kate" he sighed. "Look at me."

She slowly brought her eyes up from the point on his chin where they were fixed. She met his and was startled to see tears clouding the bright blue.

"Kate," the way he whispered her name made it sound more like a prayer. "I love you. That has not changed and it never will. I love you and you're here now. That's all that really matters. The rest, we can figure out later."

Kate surged forward, wrapping her arms around his neck and sealing their mouths together. She wanted to return his words, but she also knew her composure wouldn't hold out if she tried to say them out loud. So, she resolved to show him. She nipped lightly at his bottom lip, then soothed it with her tongue. He opened for her just as she turned her attention to the buttons on his shirt. She made quick work of them, pushing the burgundy silk from his shoulders and tossing the shirt off the foot of the bed. Her hands explored the newly exposed skin of his back while her lips explored all the places she'd dreamed about.

She felt him lean into her and laid back down. He hovered above her and, for a moment, they both stared, each in awe of the other. As Castle finally lowered himself toward her, their foreheads rested together for the briefest of moments, as if to acknowledge the destruction of the final wall between them.

* * *

The sound of feet coming up behind her pulled Kate from her day dream. She opened her eyes and sat forward in the same moment Rick swept her hair off her shoulder and his lips found his favorite spot, the one he'd discovered in the moments she was reliving, right below her ear. She gasped and shivered, just as she always did.

He smiled. "What are you thinking about?" he asked. "I can practically hear your brain working from the other side of the room."

She turned on the couch and planted a swift kiss on his lips. "I was thinking about my watch." She replied as checked the object in question. "Come on, we need to get going."

Rick walked around the couch and helped her to her feet. "This little girl needs to get a move on. I am more than ready for her to be here." She huffed out as she found her feet.

Chucking, Rick replied, "Don't worry, love. She will come when she decides it's time."


End file.
